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HST's on the WCML

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roversfan2001

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At Leyland station (and others, presumably) there are signs informing passengers that "High Speed Trains pass this platform". Obviously trains do pass platforms 3 and 4 at high speed but not InterCity 125 sets.

Have HST's ever run regularly on the WCML? I was under the impression it was the likes of class 86's and 87's then Pendos/Voyagers in the early 2000's.
 
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Rich McLean

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High Speed Trains is just referring to non-stop trains passing at speed, and not actual HSTs
 

JN114

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HSTs did run Euston - Holyhead in Pre-Voyager days
 

TrainfanBen

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Is this a false memory, or didn't Virgin HST's used to do a Bournemouth-Scotland service through the Midlands and Manchester as part of their cross country franchise?



EDIT: Got there too late. See above post.
 
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jimm

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That's the obvious explanation - but the capitalisation of the 'S' and 'T' does look like it refers to HSTs.

This sort of sign started life in 1976 on the Western Region when the HSTs were introduced there, along with yellow lines on station platforms where trains passed at speeds above 100mph.

As the use of yellow lines spread across the country to other places with slightly lower top speeds, so too did use of these signs, but they never bothered to change the capital letters to lower case. The capital letters probably do a better job of getting people's attention anyway.
 

LNW-GW Joint

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HSTs passed Leyland on Euston-Blackpool services in the 1990s (interworked with Holyhead services) as well as on XC.
Limited to 110mph on the WCML by the way, so no faster than the 86/87/90s of the day.

The sectional appendix gives this definition of "HST" for speed limit purposes:
Class 91 locomotive with mark 4 vehicles and DVT, classes 158, 159, 168, 170, 171, 172, 175, 180,
220, 221, 222, 253, 254 and 373

Oddly, this excludes classes 390 and 395.
It will be interesting to see how IEPs are categorised.

I noticed the yellow line and warnings at Newport (I think it was) last week, despite the speed limit through the platforms being 30mph!
 

najaB

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I noticed the yellow line and warnings at Newport (I think it was) last week, despite the speed limit through the platforms being 30mph!
For consistency of message more than any actual risk of death and dismemberment.
 

Springs Branch

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On the WCML (and presumably at Leyland) the yellow line and "High Speed Trains pass this platform" signs first appeared in the very early 1980s when the APT-P started running on the main line - presumably intended for when those ill-fated trains started day-to-day services.

This was before HSTs were running anywhere on the WCML. In fact I think back then, BR had a policy of always using electric haulage "under the wires" - to the extent there could be diesel/electric loco changes for some quite short legs (e.g. Stockport to Crewe for the York/Shrewsbury Postal)

I assume the signs at Leyland are not the 35-year-old APT originals!
 

SpacePhoenix

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Is there a maximum speed for trains passing through a platform, even when the line speed might be higher?
 

edwin_m

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Is there a maximum speed for trains passing through a platform, even when the line speed might be higher?

If trains ever run above 125mph they would not be able to do so through a platform track unless the platform was cleared of members of the public first. So the through stations on high speed lines always have the platforms on loop tracks (this might not apply if every train stopped but I can't think of anywhere it happens).

Slightly closer to the original topic, there was a VT poster on Stockport station platforms a few months ago warning of trains passing through at up to 125mph. Not only is the line speed through Stockport much less than that, but almost every passenger train stops there!
 

Ianno87

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Is this a false memory, or didn't Virgin HST's used to do a Bournemouth-Scotland service through the Midlands and Manchester as part of their cross country franchise?



EDIT: Got there too late. See above post.

Also, for a brief period after the "Operation Princess" Virgin Cross Country timetable recast in September 2002, VXC operated a few 2+5 HST sets on (at least) the 2-hourly Scotland-Manchester-Bournemouth service in order to meet Voyager timings - rode one from Preston to Bolton one evening in November 2002.

Pre-Princess, full 2+7 sets were used - the daily Aberdeen-Plymouth "Devon Scot" being one.

Euston-Blackpool services were HST operated when Virgin West Coast briefly reintroduced direct trains (the first time they were reintroduced!) in May 1998.
 

Shaw S Hunter

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Blackpool was also served for a while by VXC's 2+5 HSTs. This included the daily trip to Portsmouth via Guildford. Quite a contrast to the 158s that also appeared on those runs during the same period.
 
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